Middle
Walking the Middle Path
One of the goals of DBT is to “walk the middle path.” This means avoiding thinking in terms of black and white and instead look for the grey. It also means finding a fuller truth when looking at two opposing ideas or positions. The goal is to recognize extremes, incorporate aspects of both positions, and identify the middle path.
DBT therapists will often say ”both, and” rather than “either…or,” emphasizing that two seemingly opposite things can be true at the same time. For example, you may care about your sibling and think they’re great, AND there are things that you do not like about them. Life is full of dialectics. A key one that is often emphasized in DBT is that you are doing the best you can AND you want to do better.
** Linehan, M.M. (2015). DBT skills training manual (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press
DBT therapists will often say ”both, and” rather than “either…or,” emphasizing that two seemingly opposite things can be true at the same time. For example, you may care about your sibling and think they’re great, AND there are things that you do not like about them. Life is full of dialectics. A key one that is often emphasized in DBT is that you are doing the best you can AND you want to do better.
Previous Article
Validation
Validation is the communication that someone’s experience, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors make sense, even if we don’t agree with it.
Next Article
Emotion Regulation
Emotion regulation skills focus on understanding emotions, building resilience, and decreasing both vulnerability and suffering through skill use.
Suggested Articles

Focus
Mindfulness
Mindfulness, in DBT, is focusing on one and only one thing while intentionally paying attention to what is happening right now, without judgment.

Understand
Emotion Regulation
Emotion regulation skills focus on understanding emotions, building resilience, and decreasing both vulnerability and suffering through skill use.

Maintain
Interpersonal Effectiveness
Not only do our relationships impact our emotions, our emotions impact our relationships.